At least 17 Maoists, including five women, and two civilians were killed in a security operation at Naumule VDC-5 of Dailekh district Thursday afternoon.

Reports said the gunbattle erupted between the Maoists and the Unified Command forces from around 11:00, which lasted for nearly four hours. The civilians killed in the crossfire have been identified as Dal Bahadur Ramjali Magar, 50, and his son Nain Singh.

The rebels had assembled in the area from yesterday for a mass meeting organised by the Maoist-affiliated Dalit Liberation Front. Security forces had launched air raids for a few hours Wednesday evening, reports said.

Confirming that 17 Maoists were killed, the Royal Nepalese Army headquarters claimed there was no loss on the security side while media reports said four security persons were injured in the clash. The RNA quoting eyewitnesses said over 40 injured Maoists were taken away by their comrades.

Three sacks of socket bombs and Maoist literature were recovered from the area. Search operation still continues in Naumule, reports said.